Author: Liz Strange
Publisher: MLR Press, LLC
Length: 74 Pages
Category: Contemporary, Mystery
At a Glance: A great little mystery to pass the time.
Reviewed By: Lindsey
Blurb: David may have caught his toughest case yet – solving a fifty-year-old murder.
David Lloyd has always cherished the assistance of his former police colleagues, so he can hardly refuse when one calls in a favour. But a murder fifty years cold may prove to be his most difficult case yet, especially with a victim that has never been identified.
After a chance viewing of an old photograph the investigation suddenly has new leads, taking David back to the past and into the realm of a savage serial killer. Can he finally crack the case and give a young woman the justice she deserves?
Review: I will start this off by stating this is part of a series, David Lloyd Investigations, and is identified as book 4.5 of the series. It is also Seasons of Murder #1 (related stories within the series). When I first picked up the book to review, I hadn’t realized there were quite a few books prior to this one. So, I decided I would read those before jumping into this one and giving my review. Do you need to read the entire series to enjoy this book? No. Do I recommend reading them? Definitely. The investigation is standalone and can be enjoyed without the previous books, but David’s relationship with the secondary characters (especially John, who plays a larger role in this book) and how they became part of his world does give insight to a few of the comments and situations which are mentioned. You don’t need to know the particulars of the previous cases or situations discussed, as it doesn’t really take away from the current investigation, but I personally found it more enjoyable that I was able to connect the references.
I have enjoyed the series as a whole. The process David goes through in picking away at the interviews, and documents to get to the truth is extremely interesting to me. A lot of books in this particular genre tend to share the spotlight with the romance, or much of the investigation process is glossed over. This series changes things up a bit, we get tid-bits of his relationships and a whole bunch of information on the investigative process, without it being quite a procedural.
This book was a fairly quick read and nice addition to the series (as the rest of the books ran more than 200 pages, or so, and this was about 74 pages). It was interesting to see how the smallest detail set into motion a series of events leading to information that couldn’t be found when the murder occurred more than 50 years prior. The case itself was fascinating and I was captivated as to how it would unfold, and if they would ever find out Jane Doe’s real name and what happened to her. David has a knack for uncovering the tiniest thing that blows open a case, and he has a great “gut instinct” when it comes to people he is interviewing and picking up on body language. He also has quite a knack for pissing people off. The reader pretty much gets to work the case out with David, and get the same information he does to try to fit together the puzzle of the case.
I will admit I personally enjoy a little more on page of my MCs enjoying life outside of work. I like reading about interactions and personal life a little bit more than I got in this book (and the series as a whole). I don’t mind reading about a mystery, but I like to connect on a little deeper level with my MCs and secondary characters. I know David pretty well now and understand him, because we get to see his thoughts and feelings on page, but so little of the book actually gives us the ability to get to know the rest of the characters on a deeper level. So much of the on-page time is spent on the investigation, with the rest of what is happening in David’s personal life sort of glossed over in order to get back to the nitty gritty of the case. I’d have liked a little more time spent reading about David’s friends and family and their interactions, and definitely more time with Jaime. There is no on page sex, you get hints that it has happened, but no detail whatsoever. If you need that in a book, this series is not it for you. I personally don’t mind the lack of sex on page, but I would like to see more of the two of them without the case hovering right there.
All in all, I enjoyed this quick read, and plan on keeping up with David Lloyd as he continues to crack cases wide open, and piss a lot of people off while he is doing it.
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